County population in 2014: 9,099 (39% urban, 61% rural); it was 10,147 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 1,540 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 1,416 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 3,048 Renter-occupied apartments: 1,038 (it was 1,071 in 2000)
% of renters here:
26%
State:
28%
Land area: 564 sq. mi.
Water area: 5.6 sq. mi.
Population density: 16 people per square mile (low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Palo Alto County: 83.2 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Industries providing employment: Educational, health and social services (31.9%), Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (29.7%), Manufacturing (13.0%).
Estimated median household income in 2015: $48,488 ($32,409 in 1999)
This county:
$48,488
Iowa:
$54,736
Median contract rent in 2015 for apartments: $426 (lower quartile is $327, upper quartile is $529)
This county:
$426
State:
$594
Estimated median house or condo value in 2015: $89,855 (it was $55,900 in 2000)
Palo Alto:
$89,855
Iowa:
$136,100
Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $58,552 - $144,139 Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $855 Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $388
Institutionalized population: 200
Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 4
Burglaries: 23
Thefts: 23
Auto thefts: 4
Single-family new house construction building permits:
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2015: $1,237 (1.4%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2015: $1,230 (1.4%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 10.7%
(9.8% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 57.1% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 23.6% for two or more races residents)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 10.4%
Palo Alto County:
10.4%
Iowa:
12.2%
(9.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 58.1% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 15.7% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2015: 42 years old
(Males: 40 years old, Females: 45 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 44 years old, Black residents: 24 years old, American Indian residents: 56 years old, Asian residents: 31 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 30 years old, Other race residents: 22 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Palo Alto County is $377 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $498 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $610 a month.
Current college students: 591 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 83.7% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 13.9%
Number of foreign born residents: 92 (52% naturalized citizens)
Palo Alto County:
0.9%
Whole state:
3.1%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
1995 to March 2000: 38
1990 to 1994: 2
1985 to 1989: 9
1980 to 1984: 0
1975 to 1979: 0
1970 to 1974: 2
1970 to 1974: 5
1965 to 1969: 36
Note: State values scaled to Palo Alto County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 15.5 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 75.3%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 3,894
One, attached: 59
Two: 74
3 or 4: 155
5 to 9: 145
10 to 19: 39
20 or more: 71
Mobile homes: 192
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 2
Housing units in Palo Alto County with a mortgage: 1,148 (91 second mortgage, 64 home equity loan, 8 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 1,287
Here:
47.1% with mortgage
State:
62.8% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Palo Alto County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Mainline Protestant
3,008
12
Catholic
2,798
7
Evangelical Protestant
1,444
9
Other
-
-
None
2,171
-
Palo Alto County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 5
Palo Alto County:
5.30 / 10,000 pop.
State:
2.14 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 7
Palo Alto County:
7.43 / 10,000 pop.
Iowa:
5.55 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 9
This county:
9.55 / 10,000 pop.
State:
8.01 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Palo Alto County:
9.0%
Iowa:
7.8%
Adult obesity rate:
Palo Alto County:
27.3%
State:
27.3%
Low-income preschool obesity rate:
Here:
9.7%
State:
14.5%
Agriculture in Palo Alto County:
Average size of farms: 417 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $244,070 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $256.25 The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 60.71% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $207,907 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 89.63% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 1.17% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $114,313 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 82.38% Average age of principal farm operators: 55 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 5.51 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 1.90% Corn for grain: 151397 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 136241 harvested acres Vegetables: 273 harvested acres
Earthquake activity:
Palo Alto County-area historical earthquake activity is near Iowa state average. It is 79% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 7/9/1975 at 14:54:15, a magnitude 4.6 (4.6 MB, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 190.5 miles away from Palo Alto County center On 3/4/1983 at 06:32:18, a magnitude 4.6 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 4.4 ML) earthquake occurred 248.6 miles away from the county center On 11/3/2002 at 20:41:56, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MB, 4.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 214.2 miles away from the county center On 6/5/1993 at 01:24:53, a magnitude 4.1 (4.1 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 195.5 miles away from the county center On 10/25/1990 at 06:25:25, a magnitude 3.9 (3.6 MB, 3.9 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 196.1 miles away from Palo Alto County center On 2/6/1996 at 15:10:28, a magnitude 3.6 (3.6 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 150.2 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML)
Most recent natural disasters:
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: June 14, 2014 to June 24, 2014, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4184: July 24, 2014, FEMA Id: 4184, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood, Wind
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 19, 2013 to June 15, 2013, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4126: July 02, 2013, FEMA Id: 4126, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes, Incident Period: June 01, 2010 to August 31, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1930: July 29, 2010, FEMA Id: 1930, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Winter Storms, Incident Period: January 19, 2010 to January 26, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1880: March 02, 2010, FEMA Id: 1880, Natural disaster type: Winter Storm
Iowa Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm, Incident Period: December 23, 2009 to December 27, 2009, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1877: February 25, 2010, FEMA Id: 1877, Natural disaster type: Snowstorm, Winter Storm
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 25, 2008 to August 13, 2008, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1763: May 27, 2008, FEMA Id: 1763, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: August 17, 2007 to September 05, 2007, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1727: September 14, 2007, FEMA Id: 1727, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
Iowa Snow, Incident Period: February 28, 2007 to March 02, 2007, Emergency Declared EM-3275: March 30, 2007, FEMA Id: 3275, Natural disaster type: Snow
Iowa Hurricane Katrina Evacuation, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3239: September 10, 2005, FEMA Id: 3239, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 19, 2004 to June 24, 2004, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1518: May 25, 2004, FEMA Id: 1518, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
7 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Palo Alto County (17) is greater than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 15 Emergencies Declared: 2
Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 12, Storms: 8, Tornadoes: 6, Winter Storms: 2, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Snow: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Wind: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (8%)
Transportation occupations (8%)
Sales and related occupations (7%)
Material moving occupations (7%)
Office and administrative support occupations (23%)
Education, training, and library occupations (12%)
Sales and related occupations (8%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (7%)
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (7%)
Management occupations (7%)
Healthcare support occupations (6%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
United Kingdom (26%)
Canada (24%)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (23%)
Germany (12%)
Italy (5%)
Korea (3%)
Poland (2%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Palo Alto County (%):
German (42%)
Norwegian (13%)
Irish (12%)
United States or American (8%)
English (6%)
Danish (4%)
Dutch (2%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 3,641 (75%)
Carpooled: 537 (11%)
Bus or trolley bus: 27 (1%)
Motorcycle: 2 (0%)
Bicycle: 11 (0%)
Walked: 241 (5%)
Other means: 2 (0%)
Worked at home: 402 (8%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
People in group quarters in Palo Alto County, Iowa in 2000:
213 people in nursing homes
90 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)
42 people in hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill
42 people in hospices or homes for chronically ill
40 people in homes for the mentally retarded
10 people in unknown juvenile institutions
6 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
People in group quarters in Palo Alto County, Iowa in 2010:
196 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
144 people in college/university student housing
4 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $50,130.
5.66% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($31,288 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.66%
Iowa average:
5.75%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
3.87% relocated from other counties in Iowa ($21,371 average AGI)
1.80% relocated from other states ($9,917 average AGI)
Palo Alto County:
1.80%
Iowa average:
2.41%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2010 and 2011:
6.00% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($34,665 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
6.00%
Iowa average:
5.94%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
4.07% relocated to other counties in Iowa ($21,913 average AGI)
1.93% relocated to other states ($12,752 average AGI)
Palo Alto County:
1.93%
Iowa average:
2.60%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 10.2 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 11.6
Births per 1000 population in Palo Alto County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 13.6 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 13.1 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 13.9
Deaths per 1000 population in Palo Alto County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 11.6 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 4.8
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Palo Alto County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 9.1% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 4.5%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Palo Alto County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Palo Alto County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 2,119 (1,880 aged, 239 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 62 (3%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Palo Alto County, Iowa in 1999 - 2014:
Atherosclerotic heart disease (145)
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (140)
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (110)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (91)
Alzheimer's disease, unspecified (88)
Chronic ischaemic heart disease, unspecified (47)
Colon, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (40)
Malignant neoplasm of prostate (40)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 9% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 8%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 10.23 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 8,069 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 481 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 74,146
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,186 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,650 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 21
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 20 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 83
Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 10
Household type by relationship:
Households: 9,077
In family households: 7,294 (1,992 male householders, 518 female householders)
2,073 spouses, 2,361 children (2,149 natural, 76 adopted, 136 stepchildren), 71 grandchildren, 40 brothers or sisters, 16 parents, 37 other relatives, 171 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 1,783 (696 male householders (564 living alone)), 788 female householders (712 living alone)), 299 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 344 (200 institutionalized population)
Size of family households: 1,376 2-persons, 460 3-persons, 359 4-persons, 214 5-persons, 69 6-persons, 32 7-or-more-persons.
1,974 married couples with children.
371 single-parent households (113 men, 258 women).
97.0% of residents of Palo Alto County speak English at home.
1.9% of residents speak Spanish at home (89% speak English very well, 8% speak English well, 3% speak English not well).
1.1% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (83% speak English very well, 6% speak English well, 6% speak English not well, 5% don't speak English at all).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $76,525,000 ($7,826 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $925,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $29,716,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $13,965,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $13,807,000 Federal grants: $15,831,000 Federal procurement contracts: $599,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $2,606,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $1,267,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $1,499,000 Federal Government insurance: $66,343,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 583
Here:
60 per 1000 residents
State:
66 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 690
Here:
71 per 1000 residents
State:
48 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +28
Here:
+3 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -356
Here:
-37 per 1000 residents
State:
-14 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Palo Alto County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 1.06 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
6.5
State:
6.3
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
5.1
State:
4.2
Year house built
2014 or later: 9
2010 to 2013: 18
2000 to 2009: 297
1990 to 1999: 313
1980 to 1989: 269
1970 to 1979: 767
1960 to 1969: 471
1950 to 1959: 556
1940 to 1949: 429
1939 or earlier: 1,452
Note: State values scaled to Palo Alto population
Rooms in houses/apartments in Palo Alto County, Iowa
Note: State values scaled to Palo Alto County population
no vehicle: 56
1 vehicle: 881
2 vehicles: 1,327
3 vehicles: 530
4 vehicles: 165
5+ vehicles: 89
no vehicle: 122
1 vehicle: 432
2 vehicles: 337
3 vehicles: 88
4 vehicles: 42
5+ vehicles: 50
62% of Palo Alto County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 49% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 69% lived in Iowa.
Palo Alto County:
61.6%
State average:
57.7%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 8,508
Northeast: 71
Midwest: 985
South: 157
West: 284
Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $33,200
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 1%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 1%
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Palo Alto County
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43.0 years
38.0 years
(49.7%)
(50.3%)
, Josephine County, Oregon 
, Genesee County, New York 
